LOS ANGELES – Erik Ersberg earned his first start of the season for the Kings on Tuesday, and perhaps another one, too.

He just didn’t earn the win.

Chris Pronger’s 45-foot slap shot during a 4-on-3 advantage in overtime was the only score of the game, giving the Ducks a 1-0 win over their Southern California rivals Tuesday night.

Ersberg at least salvaged a point for the Kings, who were mired in a four-game losing streak – just their second standing point in the last five games (0-3-2).

“Every goalie wants to play,” Ersberg said before the game. “Ten games is tough (to wait to get a start), but you can’t do anything about it. You work hard and have to be ready for when your chance comes to help the team.”

Jean-Sebastien Giguere was equal to the task in a 35-save effort for the Ducks. It was the 31st shutout of his career and his second of the season.

The Ducks are perhaps the hottest team in the NHL, having earned 15 of a possible 16 standings points in their last eight games.

The young Kings, meanwhile, were searching for a victory.

Ersberg helped the Kings last year, going 6-5-0-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.

He’s the Kings’ backup goalie, but he puts in an awful lot of work just for situations like this big game against the Ducks.

“If you end up having a bad game, you don’t want to think back and be thinking that I could’ve practiced harder when I have the time,” Ersberg said. “When I’m not playing much, I practice a lot.”

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